The Unsung: Animal shelter manager is everywhere you don't want to be

Bob Ansell does it all for Humane Society of Broward

Bob Ansell of the Humane Society of Broward is a jack of all trades. (Michael Mayo/staff photo )

February 25, 2012|Michael Mayo, Sun Sentinel Columnist

When dogs rescued from a volcanic eruption on the Caribbean island of Montserrat in 1997 landed in the middle of the night at Miami International Airport and needed to be picked up, Bob Ansell was there.

When emergency generators at the Humane Society of Broward's animal shelter malfunctioned during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Bob Ansell was there.

And when a rubber toy caught fire after mistakenly being placed in a dryer early one morning, Bob Ansell was there, getting to the shelter faster than the fire department.

"They weren't too happy that I ran inside the building," Ansell said Friday. He said he just had to check on the 500 animals inside.

That kind of dedication makes Ansell worthy of recognition among The Unsung, my occasional series featuring people who make South Florida a better place. You might know about the Humane Society of Broward, a nonprofit agency that handles pet adoptions and takes in unwanted and abandoned pets at its 30,000-square-foot headquarters on Griffin Road. But few know about Ansell.

"He's the glue that holds us together," said senior director of operations Jo-Ann Roman, Ansell's boss. "He's got a knack for being everywhere all the time."

Ansell's official title is shelter services manager, but ask him his job description and he says, "Whatever everybody else doesn't want to do."

Ansell oversees maintenance, plumbing and electrical matters at the facility, and he's dispatched to pick up troubled animals. He also oversees the delicate task of cremations performed by the Humane Society, picking up dead pets from local vets and making sure the remains are handled with care.

"He's a big guy who can be loud and gruff, but he's the quickest to tear up if an animal comes in abused or neglected," said Roman. "When some animal comes in from a disaster situation, cowering in a cage, there's big Bob, talking in a baby voice, calming it down."

Ansell, 54, is a native South Floridian and former taxi driver who has three dogs and two cats at his Fort Lauderdale home.

On the morning I visited his cramped office in a trailer behind the main building, scores of odoriferous cats were stacked up in crates outside his door, awaiting spaying in nearby mobile trucks. Ansell was busy mapping out logistics for next Saturday's Walk for the Animals at Huizenga Park in Fort Lauderdale, which draws roughly 4,000 people and 2,500 dogs.

"It's a four-hour event and our biggest fundraiser, and it takes six months of preparation," said Ansell.

Ansell's involvement with the Humane Society began 20 years ago, when his then-teen daughter was ordered to do 20 hours of community service after a misstep and he tagged along.

For Ansell, it turned into a lifelong mission. He went from volunteer to full-time employee who sometimes has to be ordered to take vacation days.

"I think I'm one of the only people who if I hit the lottery, I would still come to work the next day," Ansell said. "I don't want to ever leave this place."